Written by Allan April, SMU Huskies
HALIFAX, NS – The Saint Mary's Huskies (3-6) defeated the Dalhousie Tigers (5-5) 91-82 in Atlantic University Sport Men's Basketball action on Friday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.
Saint Mary's made a season-high 14 three-pointers on 50% (14/28) shooting, as Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) hit an early three to put the Huskies up 3-2, and the home team wouldn't trail again for the rest of the game.
Diggs scored eight of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter, including a pair of three-pointers, while forward Marc-Denault Gabriel (Montreal, QC) dominated the Tigers inside, adding eight first quarter points of his own.
Tigers guard Samuel Maillet (Moncton, NB) single-handedly kept his team close through the first 10 minutes, as he had nine points, two rebounds and two assists, including a pair of fast-break dunks. Despite Maillet's strong play, the Huskies took a 27-21 lead into the second quarter.
The Huskies hot shooting continued into the second quarter, with forward Jonah Crowther (Dartmouth, NS) coming off the bench to hit a pair of threes, and sparking the Huskies transition with some great hustle and outlet passing. Guard Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) also hit a pair of threes in the second quarter, and cleaned up the glass for five boards. Tigers guard Malcolm Christie connected for nine points in the quarter, but the Huskies offence continued clicking and they took a 52-38 lead into the half.
Saint Mary's were led in the first half by 10 points from Jayrell Diggs, while Marc-Denault Gabriel and Jonah Crowther each chipped in eight points. The Tigers were led by Malcolm Christie with 12, and Samuel Maillet with nine points and three assists.
The second half was more of the same, with Christie doing his best to keep the Tigers within striking distance with eight third quarter points. But the Huskies long-ball attack continued firing on all cylinders, with Diggs and guard Jonas Maerz (Rosenheim, Germany) each connecting on a pair of threes in the quarter, with Maerz's second three coming just moments before the buzzer, extending the Saint Mary's lead to 74-56.
In the fourth quarter, Tigers guard Gabe Damey (Ypsilanti, Michigan) exploded for 12 points on 6/7 shooting, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Huskies lead. Shae Linton-Brown continued to control play for the Huskies, scoring seven fourth quarter points including a big and-one, and the Huskies secured the 91-82 victory.
Player of the Game Shae Linton-Brown stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points on just 4/7 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jayrell Diggs led all scorers with 21 points including five threes, Marc Denault-Gabriel added 16 points, Jonas Maerz chipped in 11 and Jonah Crowther contributed 10 off the Huskies bench.
The Tigers were led by Malcolm Christie's 20 points, with Gabe Damey adding 14 and Dolu Johnson chipping in 11 off the bench.
The Huskies win improved their record to 3-6 on the season, while the Tigers loss dropped them to 5-5. The teams will face-off against each other again on Saturday night, this time at the Dalplex, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.